Cutaway model of a Chilean AV/AT-PM1 clusterbomb / bomblet. AV/ AT is the abbriviation for Anti Vehicular/ Anti Tank. The bomblets are Armour piercing, and also have fragmentation- and incendiary effects.
These bomblets were designed and produced by the Chilean Cardoen company in the 80’s of the last century.
Carlos Cardoen was the owner of this company and exported these clusterbombs -as wel as other millitary hardware- to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war. Iraq was the favourite of the western countries, Iran was seen as the enemy, so no difficult questions about export licences were asked.
Clusterbombs like the PM-1 were very effective agaist the Iranian “Human wave” attacks on Iraq, as these clusterbombs covered a large area with fragmentation instantaniously.
This all changed in 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait and questions were asked how Iraq got all it’s weaponry. Cardoen ended up in hot water as it was found out he had exported large amounts of Zirconium –used in the PM-1 and manufactured in the USA- to Iraq. Up till today Cardoen still cannot enter the USA without the risc of being detained for illegal arms sales, although it’s hard to believe the Zirconium was exported without US knowledge.
A factory to produce these PM-1 clusterbombs was set up in Iraq near Bagdad. During the first Gulf war in 1991 it was one of the first targets to be destroyed.
The PM-1 clusterbombs are available with two types of fuzes, a black plastic impact base fuze, and a white plastic all-ways base fuze. I do not know which one is Iraqi made, but looking at the info I have I suspect the white plastic all –ways fuze is highly likely to be Iraqi.
The PM-1 bomblet bears a great resemblence to the USA manufactured Mk-118 Rockeye bomblets in shape, but have a fragmentation body and a much simpeler fuze when compared to the Rockeye.
The nose piece is made from black plastic.
The steel body has machined grooves that allow for better fragmentation.
Twelve zirconium pelletes are cast in In the explosive charge for an incendiary effect.
The cone is made of copper and will penetrate approximately 20cm of steel.
The tail is made of transparant pvc.
Functioning of the (white plastic) all ways fuze (Picture 03 and drawing PDF 04) :
The fuze consists of a white plastic fuze body with a white plastic detonator housing on top.
Upon release of the clusterbomb, the bomblet catches the airstream, unwinding the fabric strip around the tail up to the moment the polysterene filler piece with the safety pin is withdrawn from the propeller, allowing it to start rotating in the airstream. The propeller is one piece with a brass nut that starts to screw downward a threaded rod with a hexagonal top part. This hexagonal top part keeps apart two steel balls, placed in the firing cap housing, preventing the brass cup housing the firing pin from moving downward into the firing cap. As soon as the hexagonal pin has moved down, the balls move inward as soon as the firing pin moves into the firing cap. The firing cap housing and the firing pin cup are kept apart by a spring. The brass firing pin cup housing the firing pin has two small holes beside the firing pin, allowing the flame of the firing cap to move into the detonator.
Upon -nose- impact, inertia throws the firing cap housing forward -riding the spring- into the firing pin. Upon tail impact, inertia throws the firing pin -riding the spring- into the firing cap housing. With sideways impact, the chamfered sides of the firing pin housing and the firing pin cup move sideways along the chamfered sides on the inside of the fuze housing and the detonator housing, moving the firing pin and firng cap towards one another. This will detonate the firing cap, the flame travels through the two small holes into the detonator, exploding the bomblet.
Functioning of the (black plastic) impact base fuze (picture 05 and drawing PDF 06) :
Upon release of the clusterbomb, the bomblet catches the airstream, unwinding the fabric strip around the tail up to the moment the polysterene filler piece with the safety pin is withdrawn from the fuze. This allows a radial placed spring loaded pin to move outward, releasing the impeller to start rotating in the airstream. The rotation screws the safety nut (light blue) with the locking pin (dark blue) downward, allowing the rotational shutter with the firing cap to rotate the firing cap in the armed (centerline) position. A small pin that is normally in depressed position below the rotational shutter pops up as soon as the shutter has rotated into armed position, locking the rotational shutter in place. Upon impact, inertia makes the firing pin (purple) ride the firing pin spring (black), pushing the firing pin into the firing cap. The firing cap explodes, igniting the detonator, which detonates the main explosive charge of the cluster bomb.
Length of complete clusterbomb: 14,25” (362mm)
Diameter Cluster bomb body: 1,91” (49mm)
Explosives weight : 257 grams
The AV/AT PM1 is used in the following cluster bombs :
CB-250-K, cluster bomb
CB 500, cluster bomb, 245 Kg
CB 500-K, cluster bomb, 500 Kg
CBU, NAAMAN-500
The added PDF drawing 06 cannot be placed on the BOCN forum due to size and will be placed with the same posting on the WK2 ammo forum under the same title posting over there. Who is interested can find it over there. They can be printed in any desired size from A4 to A0.
Regards, DJH
These bomblets were designed and produced by the Chilean Cardoen company in the 80’s of the last century.
Carlos Cardoen was the owner of this company and exported these clusterbombs -as wel as other millitary hardware- to Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war. Iraq was the favourite of the western countries, Iran was seen as the enemy, so no difficult questions about export licences were asked.
Clusterbombs like the PM-1 were very effective agaist the Iranian “Human wave” attacks on Iraq, as these clusterbombs covered a large area with fragmentation instantaniously.
This all changed in 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait and questions were asked how Iraq got all it’s weaponry. Cardoen ended up in hot water as it was found out he had exported large amounts of Zirconium –used in the PM-1 and manufactured in the USA- to Iraq. Up till today Cardoen still cannot enter the USA without the risc of being detained for illegal arms sales, although it’s hard to believe the Zirconium was exported without US knowledge.
A factory to produce these PM-1 clusterbombs was set up in Iraq near Bagdad. During the first Gulf war in 1991 it was one of the first targets to be destroyed.
The PM-1 clusterbombs are available with two types of fuzes, a black plastic impact base fuze, and a white plastic all-ways base fuze. I do not know which one is Iraqi made, but looking at the info I have I suspect the white plastic all –ways fuze is highly likely to be Iraqi.
The PM-1 bomblet bears a great resemblence to the USA manufactured Mk-118 Rockeye bomblets in shape, but have a fragmentation body and a much simpeler fuze when compared to the Rockeye.
The nose piece is made from black plastic.
The steel body has machined grooves that allow for better fragmentation.
Twelve zirconium pelletes are cast in In the explosive charge for an incendiary effect.
The cone is made of copper and will penetrate approximately 20cm of steel.
The tail is made of transparant pvc.
Functioning of the (white plastic) all ways fuze (Picture 03 and drawing PDF 04) :
The fuze consists of a white plastic fuze body with a white plastic detonator housing on top.
Upon release of the clusterbomb, the bomblet catches the airstream, unwinding the fabric strip around the tail up to the moment the polysterene filler piece with the safety pin is withdrawn from the propeller, allowing it to start rotating in the airstream. The propeller is one piece with a brass nut that starts to screw downward a threaded rod with a hexagonal top part. This hexagonal top part keeps apart two steel balls, placed in the firing cap housing, preventing the brass cup housing the firing pin from moving downward into the firing cap. As soon as the hexagonal pin has moved down, the balls move inward as soon as the firing pin moves into the firing cap. The firing cap housing and the firing pin cup are kept apart by a spring. The brass firing pin cup housing the firing pin has two small holes beside the firing pin, allowing the flame of the firing cap to move into the detonator.
Upon -nose- impact, inertia throws the firing cap housing forward -riding the spring- into the firing pin. Upon tail impact, inertia throws the firing pin -riding the spring- into the firing cap housing. With sideways impact, the chamfered sides of the firing pin housing and the firing pin cup move sideways along the chamfered sides on the inside of the fuze housing and the detonator housing, moving the firing pin and firng cap towards one another. This will detonate the firing cap, the flame travels through the two small holes into the detonator, exploding the bomblet.
Functioning of the (black plastic) impact base fuze (picture 05 and drawing PDF 06) :
Upon release of the clusterbomb, the bomblet catches the airstream, unwinding the fabric strip around the tail up to the moment the polysterene filler piece with the safety pin is withdrawn from the fuze. This allows a radial placed spring loaded pin to move outward, releasing the impeller to start rotating in the airstream. The rotation screws the safety nut (light blue) with the locking pin (dark blue) downward, allowing the rotational shutter with the firing cap to rotate the firing cap in the armed (centerline) position. A small pin that is normally in depressed position below the rotational shutter pops up as soon as the shutter has rotated into armed position, locking the rotational shutter in place. Upon impact, inertia makes the firing pin (purple) ride the firing pin spring (black), pushing the firing pin into the firing cap. The firing cap explodes, igniting the detonator, which detonates the main explosive charge of the cluster bomb.
Length of complete clusterbomb: 14,25” (362mm)
Diameter Cluster bomb body: 1,91” (49mm)
Explosives weight : 257 grams
The AV/AT PM1 is used in the following cluster bombs :
CB-250-K, cluster bomb
CB 500, cluster bomb, 245 Kg
CB 500-K, cluster bomb, 500 Kg
CBU, NAAMAN-500
The added PDF drawing 06 cannot be placed on the BOCN forum due to size and will be placed with the same posting on the WK2 ammo forum under the same title posting over there. Who is interested can find it over there. They can be printed in any desired size from A4 to A0.
Regards, DJH
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